Romania is drawing up a PPR vaccination plan (Peste des Petits Ruminants)

High level meeting dedicated to PPR

The President of ANSVSA (veterinary authority), Dr Alexandru Nicolae Bociu, and Deputy Prime Minister Tánczos Barna, in his capacity as Acting Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, have chaired an important meeting on 21.07.2026, addressing the hot issue of PPR (also known as sheep and goat plague). The high-level meeting focused on the implementation of the vaccination strategy against  PPR.

Due to the spread of this disease, the entire Romanian sheep and goat sector is currently affected, as no trade (intra-community or with third countries) is possible at the moment. While this sector is traditionally relying on export markets.

Action plan in the making

Following the agreement in principle received from the European Commission, the Romanian veterinary authorities are drawing up a detailed action plan. The document will be officially submitted for review to the EU Expert Group on Veterinary Emergency Response (EuVet). Subsequently, a team of European specialists will arrive in Romania to finalise this plan alongside Romanian experts, with the agreed measures to be implemented as soon as possible.

The main objective was to establish a rapid and effective method for implementing this action, in line with the steps taken at EU level to resume exports of sheep and goats to third countries.

Wide range of experts

The discussions between the two officials took place in the presence of the heads of all the county Veterinary and Food Safety Directorates (DSVSA), who were called upon to ensure the implementation of the measures on the ground. The meeting was also attended by epidemiology experts, alongside the management of the three relevant national institutes: the Institute for Animal Health and Diagnostics, the Institute of Veterinary Hygiene and Public Health, and the Institute for the Control of Biological Products and Veterinary Medicines.

First envisaged areas

The campaign will begin in the counties of Constanța and Tulcea (east of Romania, close to the Black Sea); the decision to prioritise vaccination in these areas is based on four strategic arguments:

• The existence of a transit corridor for goods and animals between Ukraine and the Port of Constanța, which poses a major risk of the PPR virus entering and spreading.
• The local epidemiological history, as the first case of PPR in Romania was confirmed in this area in July 2024.
• The role of the River Danube as a natural barrier, acting as a geographical obstacle to limit the spread of the virus to the rest of the country.
• The high level of economic concentration, with the region hosting the largest number of collection centres for animals destined for external markets.

Free of charge vaccine doses

Some 300,000 doses of vaccine will initially be provided free of charge, with the European Commission subsequently taking administrative steps directly with the supplier to secure a further 900,000 doses, bringing the total allocation to 1,200,000 doses provided free of charge.

Efforts to resume exports

In parallel with the on-the-ground actions and European procedures, the management of ANSVSA has secured an agreement in principle from the authorities in Arab countries to renegotiate the veterinary health certificates for export, a development which offers a favourable prospect for the rapid resumption of trade in live animals as soon as the European restrictions are lifted.

In June 2026, the European Commission extended the ban on exports of sheep and goats from Romania to third countries until 31 December 2026, whilst maintaining the existing ban on shipments to EU Member States. “This is a measure that is largely disproportionate to the current epidemiological situation and has a major economic impact on Romania’s sheep sector,” said Tánczos Barna, the acting Minister of Agriculture, at the time.

Romania: second place in the EU in sheep and goats

In 2025, Romania ranked second in the EU (after Spain) by the number of sheep and goats, totalling 12.2 million heads, with a density of 99.5 heads/100 ha. According to the Farmer’s Magazine, Romania had also become the largest EU sheep exporter, as the domestic market not being able to absorb the volumes produced.

More information

For more information, you can reach out to the Netherlands Agricultural Network in Romania via: bkr-lvvn@minbuza.nl